is a gathering for changemakers, like you, who are passionate about civic engagement. It empowers nonprofit, NGO, government and business business leaders to make a bold impact in their communities, providing the resources and inspiration to do so.
But how specifically will this year’s conference – taking place in Chicago June 14-16, 2023 – tailor its content to meet each of these audience’s needs? Read on to learn more.
An Inside Look From Our Conference Planners
Our planning team works year-round on this innovative event. So we sat down with them to get a deeper look into the thought and insight that makes the Points of Light Conference the leading event for social impact leaders from around the world.
1. What are you most excited about as you’ve helped plan the content for this year’s conference?
This year’s theme, “Leading Change Together,” exemplifies everything that so many of us have dedicated our lives to doing. I’m excited about the richness of the content and activities we’re planning that offer deep learning about the ways that civic engagement advances social good. From moving keynotes and performances, to workshops, to intentional networking, to showcasing Chicago’s vibrant history and culture, the conference experience is a trifecta of inspiration, education and connection.
2. What will NGO attendees gain from conference?
This year’s conference is a drumbeat toward the expansion beyond volunteerism to include multiple avenues of civic engagement. Attendees will hear from leading voices in areas such as disaster resiliency, grassroots advocacy and volunteer programming. In an increasingly interwoven social sector, where a single challenge is multi-faceted, attendees will learn about best practices focused toward issues such as health equity and social sector leadership.
3. If you could recommend one session that nonprofit and NGO attendees shouldn’t miss, what would it be?
Climate change is already having an impact on our communities pushing us to reconsider strategies for resiliency and community sustainability. Disaster work gets at the core of what it means to address challenges via an equity lens. One of our Civic Talks will feature some of the leading voices in preparedness and response to disaster via an equity lens.
4. What insights will corporate attendees walk away with?
This year’s conference is the optimal opportunity to learn from peers and experts in corporate citizenship. In fact, I highly encourage leaders to consider bringing multiple members of your social impact team because of the diversity in workshops geared toward businesses — you simply can’t be everywhere at once! Some of the themes that attendees will learn more about include advancing equity through civic engagement, connecting skill-based volunteering with talent development, measuring the business and social impacts of both volunteering and giving, board service, and developing and strengthening public-private partnerships to achieve progress – just to name a few!
5. Tell us about one session that is especially compelling for corporate attendees.
One session that I am particularly excited about is led by our partners at True Impact and is centered around measuring the social impact of a company’s CSR strategy without overburdening nonprofit partners. We know that, over the past three years, there has been a movement toward trust-based philanthropy with a company’s grantees and nonprofit partners while CSR leaders are also feeling intense pressure to prove and improve the return on social investments. Although these two things may seem at odds, there is a way to solve for them through collaboration and by determining actionable metrics and smart data collection methods at the outset. I know by attending this workshop, How to Support Your Nonprofit and NGO Partners While Getting the Data You Need: Impact Measurement in a Trust-Based Philanthropy World, attendees will walk away with new ways of measuring what matters and forgoing what doesn’t.
Come to Conference — it’s for All Changemakers
Early Bird Pricing
Points of Light is committed to making conference as accessible as possible. That’s why we’re offering
for the Points of Light Conference 2023. Reserve your spot today and save an average of $100 by registering before March 31. Pricing starts at just $475 for
for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) nonprofit professionals to attend the 2023 Points of Light Conference. There are two levels of scholarship available: the Transformational Scholarship awards $1,782 and covers registration, hotel and funds toward travel and the Capacity Scholarship awards $1,382 and covers registration and hotel.
This opportunity is e. It is available to BIPOC individuals at nonprofit 501c3 organizations based in the U.S. with annual operating budget less than $1 million, and applicants must be 18 or older. Priority will be given to organizations with a minimum of two years of public financials, and applications are open through March 31. If you have questions about the application or scholarship, please contact
The Points of Light Conference supports nonprofit and national service organizations too. In fact, 75% of our attendees are a part of these types of organizations. This year, AmeriCorps’ CEO Michael Smith is a featured speaker. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a top leader and gain the wisdom and inspiration you need to carry your mission forth. With more than 50 educational workshops, inspirational leadership discussions and opportunities to connect with peers, this conference offers something for every champion of social good.
Volunteer Recruitment Strategies for Global Volunteer Month
When anyone embarks on planning a volunteer project or initiative, sufficient v
olunteer recruitment is often a concern that tops their list
approaches, you will want to consider what you can do to ensure you have enough people power to truly make an impact in the cause area you’re supporting.
Whether you’re leading a team of CSR professionals or simply trying to enroll others in your volunteer project at work, you can use these volunteer recruitment strategies to maximize your impact.
Plan Ahead for Volunteer Recruitment
To maximize your results, you’ll want to start planning your Global Volunteer Month project or initiative now. Determine which cause area(s) you’ll choose to support, who will lead the efforts and what supplies you’ll need. If you’re partnering with a nonprofit organization for an event, you’ll need to establish this relationship and ensure logistics are overseen.
Where and when will your event or project take place? How many volunteers will you need? What will you need to prepare in advance? Will the partner organization take care of supplies, or is this something you’ll need to supply? Consider food, transportation, parking and scheduling as well.
“In addition to addressing basic community needs, companies should also consider how they can collaborate effectively with community partners to help create the next generation of their workforce to help strengthen local communities economically, educationally and socially. If your company is creating partnerships that foster opportunities to expose, train and educate the next generation for employment in your industry, then everyone wins.”
— Jennifer Nash, Senior Vice President, Points of Light Corporate Solutions
Communicate Early and Often
One of the best ways to boost volunteer recruitment is to ensure that people know about your event and how they can participate. So as early as possible, begin to promote your project in internal communications materials like emails or newsletters. Be clear about who the project lead is and how employees can sign up to volunteer their time and talent. You might even promote the event on your social media channels.
You can reference Points of Light’s
for inspiration on your communications strategy. These resources include translated logos, social media graphics and sample messages to easily share your participation with your audiences. They’re tailored to four audiences: nonprofits, companies, government officials and individuals.
Provide Ample Resources to Bolster Volunteer Recruitment
Your employee volunteers will need to know as much as possible about the project or event, and how to plan effectively for it. So provide them with a detailed schedule as well as a list of things they should prepare, pack or wear. Will you be providing food? If not, make that clear in your communication.
Incentivizing volunteers can go a long way in recruiting employees for your project. You might be offering a catered lunch, a certificate of completion, a small gift card or something else as a “thank you” for their time. If you’re offering paid volunteer time off (VTO), make this clear in your communication strategy – it can be one of the best ways to incentivize employees.
Celebrate Your Project and Volunteers
Want to increase employee engagement for your program or initiative, or ensure that next year’s Global Volunteer Month efforts have a great turnout? One method to help promote volunteer recruitment is to celebrate the efforts from this year’s volunteer activities. Some recognition ideas are to have a shoutout in your company-wide newsletter, host a luncheon for volunteers or nominate an outstanding employee volunteer for the
. When volunteers feel seen and recognized, they’re more likely to participate again in the future, and recognition can help you attract new talent too.
If you’d like more support rolling out your employee engagement program or finding ways to recognize your employee volunteers, Points of Light’s
can help. Our team of experts equips you with best-in-class tools, frameworks and customized support to streamline your program and increase your impact.
Business Resource Groups (BRGs): Benefits and Examples
Business Resource Groups (BRGs) are voluntary, employee-led groups that serve as a resource for members and their employers by fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with organizational mission, values, goals, business practices and objectives. They play an integral role in creating a culture that promotes an environment of understanding, acceptance and inclusion among all employees.
Research from
to look forward to going to work, and over five times more likely to want to stay a long time at their company. Other benefits of BRGs include the development of future leaders, increased employee engagement and expanded marketplace reach.
About Business Resource Groups
Business Resource Groups may also be known as:
Employee Resource Groups
Diversity & Inclusion Councils
Affinity Groups
Employee Networks
Business Resource Groups are made up of employees who share common interests and lived experiences; membership in any group is typically open to any interested employee. These groups come together to foster professional growth and provide a collective voice to management and decision makers around social issues, community needs and company policies.
Initiatives and events led by Business Resource Groups help support the company’s business goals, innovation, philanthropic efforts and commitment to workplace diversity and belonging. Business Resource Groups may sponsor a speaker series, career development seminars, volunteer activities, panel discussions and social networking events to which all employees are invited. Additionally, each BRG might make community outreach an integral part of its mission.
Involvement in a Business Resource Group is a valuable opportunity to develop internal relationships and make connections across the company. BRGs will often set up chapters for each group throughout a company’s footprint to ensure there is participation across different geographies. Being a member of a BRG also provides employees with cross-cultural competence: the ability to discern and take into account one’s own and others’ world views to be able to seize opportunities, make decisions and resolve conflicts in ways that optimize cultural differences for better, longer lasting and more creative solutions.
BRGs may lead awareness or community engagement activities that correspond to their common interest such as organizing a professional clothing drive for women transitioning into civilian careers during Women’s History Month. More often than not, BRGs are involved in supporting a company’s philanthropic activities and it is important to ensure they are integrated into goals, policies and procedures related to a company’s employee volunteer program and collaborate with the team leading corporate social impact efforts as needed.
Corporate Examples of BRGs
AT&T
and
Dow
annually bring together members of their employee resource groups and business leaders for an opportunity to learn together, build connections and create social impact. Each conference includes acts of service that provide lasting benefits to the host community and in-person and virtual participants.
At
, one in four employees is a member of at least one Employee Network worldwide, which helps employees develop personally and professionally, build strong ties with communities and address issues that matter. One of these networks, IGEN, supports diversity by bridging gaps across generations within the workplace. During the pandemic, members of IGEN in the UK volunteered regularly to address community isolation in partnership with The Cares Family, a charity whose mission is to bring people together across generations, backgrounds and experiences to build community and connection.
Employee Resource Groups support
Dell’s
global cultivating inclusion pillar. Through their ERGs and Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Champions, they create meaningful professional connections and employee engagement. ERGs partner with leadership on corporate observances including Black History Month and International Women’s Day. To celebrate the International Day of the Girl in 2021, members of Dell’s Women in Action ERG participated in a Girls Empowerment Pro Bono Consulting Workshop. This virtual workshop connected ERG members across the U.S. with seven nonprofit organizations facing capacity-building challenges.
As part of
Intel’s
RISE (responsible, inclusive, sustainable and enabling) strategy, their nearly 40 ERGs are part of the engine that drives community and inclusion. Part of each group’s charter is to volunteer in local communities. In fact, in 2020, members of the Pacific Islanders of Intel ERG were made aware of a critical need for COVID-19 clinics to address a desperate situation for Oregon’s community of Pacific Islanders: their infection rates were 12 times higher than those of white Oregonians. The ERG reached out to county officials and local nonprofits to organize and lead clinics specific to this demographic which provided testing and vaccinations for thousands of Islanders, along with food and other services.
2023 Global Network Gathering Recap
We’ve spent three and a half amazing days with NGO affiliate members of the
, CEO Daniel Morias and staff were incredible (anfitrioes incriveis!), and of course, this event wouldn’t have been possible without our generous sponsors at UPS. We were welcomed, introduced to Brazilian social engagement leaders, offered learning opportunities, and given experiences within the Brazilian culture in São Paolo that will stay with us forever. Thank you, Atados team and UPS! Obrigado equipe Atados e UPS!
The Points of Light Global Gathering is an annual get together of our affiliate members where we convent with NGOs from small towns in Texas to Hong Kong, China, share around
and social impact and the failures we’ve learned from and the successes we’ve seen. We connect with each other to strengthen and uplift the community programs each of us is driving and take those learnings back to our teams. And there’s always a bit — ok, a lot— of fun, laughter and some dancing sprinkled throughout.
“Bringing together Points of Light affiliates from across the globe is an energizing and powerful experience. This gathering gave us the opportunity to learn about civic leadership programs in California and then about innovative corporate volunteer programming in Spain. We also heard from our affiliate in the Ukraine about refugee relief work,” said Vanessa Diamond, SVP civic innovations, Community Foundation for a greater Richmond. “As we learn about new program models, unique ways affiliates are integrating the
®, we each walk away with insight on how we can make our localized programming more efficient, equitable, and in turn, create more positive change in our communities. As we are catalysts for volunteer action in our own communities, in bringing us together, Points of Light created an opportunity to inspire and educate us so we can do more.”
We kicked off our time together on Tuesday, March 14, with a visit to Atados headquarters in São Paolo, where participants of the Service Project gathered to meet and exchange gifts with their Pen Pals after exchanging letters for weeks leading up to the Global Gathering. We were treated to a delectable dinner Tuesday night with a special welcome dinner at MSTC, The Roofless Movement from the Center, led by Carmen Silva. This activist organization rehomes the city’s unhoused population into previously abandoned buildings. MSTC provides access to healthcare, education, work opportunities and is the model for more than 160 similar sites in the area. It will live with us as a moment of shared understanding of Brazilian culture.
Points of Light Global Network Gathering Photo Gallery
Wednesday, March 15, was the first Social Engagement Summit in São Paolo that brought together Points of Light Global Network affiliates, local São Paolo corporations and leading NGOs in Brazilian social impact work for a day of learning and collaboration. The morning panels delved into current social impact trends featuring our own Interim CEO Diane Quest, Atados Founder Daniel Morias, and Points of Light Board Member and Assembly Chair Vanessa Diamond. I was honored to be invited to speak on the ways data is changing civic engagement, particularly in post-pandemic societies. Points of Light affiliates shared their expertise on panels ranging from disaster recovery and relief to examples of collaboration and innovation in corporate partnerships. Points of Light Board Member Michelle Gavin shared insights on the Civic Circle and its role in societal change.
“Being the host of the global gathering in Brazil proves the power of collaboration. It is an opportunity to bring international knowledge to Brazil and shows the strength of the Points of Light Global Network,” said Daniel Morais, founder and CEO, Atados. “Together with Points of Light, we could bring methodologies and credibility for our work and access to new networks. We hope it was also good for Points of Light to have a Brazilian experience.”
Our affiliates then transitioned into a day-and-a-half of Global Network discussions and learnings where we kept belonging, learning and strategy at the forefront. Vanessa Diamond, SVP of civic innovations for Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, along with Julia Aramendi, project director of Volies and Vice-Chair of the Network Assembly, talked about the catalytic nature of being together. They explored the value proposition of being a member of the Points of Light Global Network – from affiliate to Points of Light, and Points of Light to affiliate – and how the current structure of the network offers opportunities for shared learning through communities of practice, and local regional roundtables.
We then delved into how our world has transitioned to people seeing themselves as “taking action” vs. the historically more traditional role of volunteering. We heard examples from five affiliates around their community projects in alignment with the
® including Rosie Drumgoole with Chicago Cares, Bia Lin with Hands On Hong Kong, Stephen Davalos with LA Works, Leo Petrov with Children for a Better World and Amy Lytle with Hands on NW North Carolina.
On the final day of the gathering, four affiliate partners, including Daniel Morais with Atados, Hannah Wojno of Ruach Tova, Monica Gil with Hands on Colombia and Celina Lesta with Volies, shared what makes successful and not-so-successful collaborations both as network members and overall. Afternoon conversations centered around the Civic Circle and how
. Group discussions explored how the social impact landscape is evolving and the ways the Civic Circle applies to our collective work with various audiences – from nonprofits and NGOs to corporations to individuals, including youth activation. We talked about what we need to extend the reach and understanding of all civic actions with audiences in different parts of the world.
“I have so much gratitude for the expertise, knowledge sharing and commitment of our network. The 2023 Global Gathering in Brazil forged new and strengthened existing connections and grounded us all in the important collective work we’re doing together,” said Diane Quest, interim CEO and president of Points of Light. “We are so grateful for our host team Atados and leave Brazil with a better understanding of the work they are doing to build a social engagement society.”
We ended the day with an invitation and brainstorming around the next time we would be together in Chicago at the annual
We’ll leave you with some of our new favorite Portuguese phrases from the group:
Bom = good
Xicara de café = cup of coffee
Obrigado = thank you
Together we inspired each other, we laughed at our shared human fallibilities, we explored Brazilian culture, and we created memories and friendships that are at core of the Points of Light Global Network.
To Increase Civic Engagement, We Must Improve Health Equity
For more than a decade, the conversation of health care access has happened at both our highest levels of government and in small conversations with friends and family at home. These important conversations drove some change, but the pandemic highlighted the deep inequities in health care globally. There is still much to be done.
Points of Light’s Global Civic Engagement Research found that healthcare was the top issue area people said “my country must address.” It was also in the top five issue areas when people were asked what cause they were most personally interested in, with 48% of people saying healthcare was an important cause to them.
In the U.S., health care legislation has been ongoing for years. In the past year in particular, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly capped the cost of insulin, states have limited female reproductive health access and an aging population faces challenges to Medicare and rising health costs.
We know it takes every person becoming civically engaged to create a thriving society. One reason health equity work is critical is because people must feel their basic needs are met before they’re able to further their civic engagement. Research Derrick Feldman refers to it as THE List: transportation, health, employment. “Health insecurity inhibits our ability to remain active and engaged,” said Feldman in the Philanthropy News Digest.
Last week, at the Lake Nona Health Impact Forum, health care industry leaders, scientists, innovators and advocates gathered to talk about ground breaking technology and treatments. But they also acknowledged that, despite the progress, in the U.S. we have taken three steps forward and one step back. Life expectancy for Americans has declined for the last two years. This fact is just one among many other health challenges that we face that highlight how we must find better treatments and cures and open up access.
If we know health impacts civic engagement, how can civic engagement impact health equity? I was struck by the very first panel at the forum – Global Pacesetters for Change – which featured Chelsea Clinton, Lauren Bush Lauren and venture capitalist Noor Sweid. They spoke about using your voice, your vote and your purchase power to create a more just and equitable health care system.
We see people taking actions every day. This year we released our first Daily Point of Light Award annual report and found the issue areas most addressed by our honorees were health, hunger and well-being. This realization led us to explore how Points of Light’s Civic Circle® can play a role in addressing health equity. Our theory of change is that if we take one issue and combine actions on the Civic Circle®, we’ll accelerate change.
Let’s start with listening and learning. In a recent webinar with Tiffany Benjamin, CEO, Humana Foundation, she shared that listening and learning is critical to get into equity work, and you must dive in to meeting the needs of sub-groups in a population. For example, you can’t just address the health needs of the BIPOC community. The needs of a 6-year-old in an urban low-income community and the health needs of a 65-year-old man in a rural town are extremely different. You need to listen to the specific group you’re looking to support.
After listening and learning, realizing specific needs will lead to focused action, and the Civic Circle provides plenty of opportunities to act. You can use your voice to advocate for long-term change while activating volunteers to address short-term needs.
This hyper focus is critical – but so is sharing the learnings. Hearing from others doing the work allows a larger feedback loop of learning, so we can bring ideas to communities and ideate and iterate on solutions.
This year, at the 2023 Points of Light Conference, we’ll have a focus on health equity and have experts and practitioners share what they’re doing in communities around the world. We’ll have speakers on our main stage, including our Civic Talk, “Perspectives on Health Equity: How Hyper-local and Global Strategies Align,” with experts from KPMG, the Metropolitan Planning Council and West Side United, plus many more who are doing the work.
Convenings like our conference create space to listen, learn and take information back to communities we work in. Improving people’s health and access to health care increases their ability to turn their attention to other challenges, which we can increase the power of people to make our communities stronger, more just and equitable places.
Join us at the 2023 Points of Light Conference to learn more about how health equity can take a center role and advance our long-term social impact, and hear from leading experts in volunteer management, civic engagement and more. It will be a robust three days of learning where we can lead change, together.
How Service Year Programs Can Help With Corporate Recruitment
Service comes in many forms. It’s not just the type that corporate citizenship leaders are actively developing in order to mobilize employees to solve community issues. Citizens of the world also commit their time, energy and talent to
, how can other types of service play a role in corporate recruitment?
Here’s where your knowledge and connections as a leader in corporate citizenship can play a larger role in support of an increasing battle for talent. If they’re not already plugged in, make sure your partners in HR are scouting from the perfect pipeline – alumni of service year programs.
Benefits of Service Year Programs for Corporate Recruitment
Offered by organizations like AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, City Year, Atlas Corps, Teach for America, YouthBuild and so many more, service year programs offer a participant a paid opportunity to develop real-world skills through hands-on service in communities around the globe. These real-world skills, especially soft skills that are not easily taught or learned, are incredibly important for businesses to remain competitive in today’s economy. Alumni from these programs are equipped to lead and manage and are ready to help any organization achieve results.
What are some of the skills learned and honed while participating in a service year? More than likely it’s the same competencies your company is looking for in new recruits.
Leadership: Alumni demonstrate strong ethics, empower others to self-organize, foster a sense of connection and belonging, show openness to new ideas and nurture growth.
Critical thinking: Alumni are able to sort through useful and arbitrary details in order to evaluate a problem or situation, form an objective judgement that leads to a critical solution or decision.
Getting things done with limited resources: Alumni focus on proactively achieving results through effective planning and optimizing the resources they have access to.
Accountability: Alumni understand the responsibility that comes with being accountable for their own actions and decisions, the actions of team members and their individual and collective results[i]. They hold themselves and others to common expectations that align with an organization’s values and mission.
Adaptability: Alumni have a proven ability to learn new concepts and skills quickly[i] even without explicit instruction. They are creative and can respond effectively to changing working conditions. They also have experience dealing with ambiguity and demonstrate that they are able to act or shift gears without having all the details, making confident decisions even without the whole picture.
Initiative: Alumni are immediate contributors who lead by example as well as through direction, delegation, motivation and inspiration.
Interpersonal and intercultural communication: Alumni excel in partnering and communicating with diverse racial, religious, ethnic, cultural and geographic groups[i]. Their broad experience has given them a deeper understanding of the world around them.
Collaboration: Participation in a national service program has fostered an alumni’s ability to work individually and as part of a team, instilling a strong work ethic and responsibility to and appreciation of one’s colleagues.
Your company’s hiring managers would also be well advised to think through the hard skills that service year alumni also possess that align with the roles they’re trying to fill on Learning and Development or Communications teams, such as the ability to speak several languages or the aptitude to teach others.
Don’t forget how this can positively impact you as well – these newly hired service year alums will make passionate and dedicated champions of your company’s social good efforts. That’s a win-win-win for the business, its employees and the communities in which your company operates.
Resources for Service Year Programs
The Voices for National Service Business Council works to highlight the vital role the private sector plays in supporting and investing in national service programs, unleashing citizens to tackle the pressing problems facing their communities. Through the Business Council, companies and private sector leaders work to promote and strengthen bipartisan support for AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors and are recognized for their leadership and commitment to expanding service opportunities for all Americans.
Employers of National Service is an initiative that connects service year alums with over 600 employers from the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Through this initiative, employers have increased access to a dedicated, highly qualified and mission-oriented pool of potential employees, and service year alums have additional opportunities to connect with employers that value their skills. To become an Employer of National Service, employers pledge to recognize service year experience in their hiring practices.
Service Year Alliance is working to make a year of paid, full-time service — a service year — a common expectation and opportunity for all young Americans. Their vision: Every year, one million young Americans engaged in a service year, solving important problems while transforming their own lives.
3 Ways to Show Employee Volunteers Appreciation This Global Volunteer Month
rapidly approaches in April, you’ll want to ensure you have a strategy in place for executing your organization’s social impact projects. But there’s something else we highly recommend employers take into account: employee recognition.
Taking the time, effort and budget to properly recognize your employees and volunteers for their efforts during this month of volunteering can serve both you and them in the long run. Volunteer appreciation builds morale, boosts engagement, sparks passion and helps your programs thrive for years to come.
Here are three tips to Show your volunteers Appreciation during Global Volunteer Month
Nominate Them for a Daily Point of Light Award
Founded by President George H.W. Bush in 1993, the
award program has been running strong for decades. To date, more than 7,000 Daily Point of Light honorees have been named. Each Daily Point of Light awardee receives recognition with a feature article on the Points of Light website, as well as networking and event benefits.
Take Daily Point of Light Honoree
, for example. He’s a Bank of America employee who helps people create a lower cost of living and improve lives through better money habits and financial literacy. His mission is to empower people through knowledge about their finances.
, a KPMG employee, volunteers her time with the Special Olympics, helping bring inclusivity and unity to unified golf athletes, in partnership with KPMG’s sponsorship programs.
Taking the time to nominate a few outstanding volunteers for this prestigious award can help them feel seen and appreciated for their pro bono efforts.
“We all know that what is celebrated is replicated, which is exactly why recognizing and celebrating your volunteers is key to inspiring other employees to get involved. A volunteer recognition strategy is a path to communicating impact, boosting participation, shining a spotlight on causes, and reinforcing your company’s commitment to community.”
— Katie Stearns, Chief Global Corporate Solutions Officer
helps you recognize your star volunteers, individuals whose service positively impacts communities in every corner of the nation and inspires those around them to take action, too.
The inspiring changemakers from Le PeTiT CiRqUe are a testament to the unstoppable positive impact of our nation’s youth. Le PeTiT CiRqUe, a humanitarian-based elite cirque production company featuring pro-level youth from ages six to 15, recently had several performers awarded with President’s Volunteer Service Awards.
Each person was deservedly awarded the Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award for more than 100 hours of service. This type of volunteer appreciation can really impact your program’s engagement, as well as making employees feel valued.
Check Out Our Global Volunteer Month Toolkits
Points of Light has created four toolkits for this year’s Global Volunteer Month. Each is tailored to a specific audience – nonprofits, companies, government officials and individuals. These toolkits are packed with ideas on how to implement your GVM projects, complete with communication tips and logos you can utilize across external and internal marketing materials.
They also include additional ideas for recognition – some methods as easy as reposting your employees’ social media posts. Head over to the
3 Global CSR Tips for Working with Different Cultures
While corporate social responsibility is an exciting and challenging field to begin with, global CSR is even more complex. Working with different cultures presents plenty of nuance to be carefully considered in order for your corporate engagement programs to be as effective as possible – for both your employees and the communities you’re working with.
How can companies with a multinational presence effectively scale and deepen their
across their global footprint? Here are some strategies you can leverage, starting today.
Global CSR Tips
Form a Team of Passionate Players with Cultural Awareness
Consider the cultures you’re working with. Be sensitive to cultural nuances, both internal and external, including careful consideration of the culture and customs within a region, as well as your company’s organizational culture. Tailor communications and program design appropriately to account for these nuances. Challenge assumptions and your own cultural biases by identifying locals partnering with employees in each region who can teach you about their culture and how volunteering is perceived. Put a priority on sharing experiences and building learning throughout the system.
Cultural differences in communities in which global companies operate can influence employee volunteer program success. For example, the use of appropriate colors, images and language when branding and promoting a program can help engage employees and nonprofit partners. Understanding the value societies place on individualism and collectivism, the roles of the government and the private sector, and personal space versus workspace are also important factors.
Don’t try to go it alone. One of the best ways to ensure success and maintain momentum is to build a
of champions to serve as front-line leaders for the employee engagement program. Use volunteer committees and councils to help operationalize and localize
.
Be flexible about how you operationalize global priorities, based on input from these leaders. Adapt your volunteer programs to the needs of the local communities you’re working with and trust the feedback you’re getting from those most closely involved with the day-to-day work. Ask plenty of questions to garner this type of valuable feedback – it could make or break the efficacy of the program.
“You might have an idea about the types of support that would most benefit the NGO or community and how your company can deliver on that. Don’t get stuck there, though – as you have those curious and candid conversations with a prospective partner, you might be surprised to learn that the biggest impact you can achieve together is a few layers down from the surface. Perhaps you think a food pantry most needs volunteers to stock shelves and distribute groceries to guests in order to keep up with demand. If you’re open to really listening and meeting the moment, you might find instead that the biggest impact would come from a redesigned inventory tracking system and floor plan to facilitate more efficient guest visits.”
— Katie Stearns, Chief Global Corporate Solutions Officer at Points of Light
Know Your International Laws and Corporate Culture Inside and Out
A variety of factors affect the way global volunteer programs are designed and implemented, including availability of resources, the nature of the business, the makeup of the workforce and community needs. Employee volunteer program leaders identified regional and organizational culture as other important factors. International laws around volunteerism also play a role in the differences from country to country.
Consider this: A company’s corporate culture may influence the policy and design of a formal employee volunteer program created at headquarters. However, there can be constant tension between corporate HQ culture and the informal rules and behaviors of regional offices, which can impact employee engagement and participation.
Below are some examples of cultural norms and best practices in global CSR by region, informed by leaders from
Employee volunteerism emerged in the Latin and Central America region approximately 20 years ago, as multinational companies established employee volunteer programs. Corporate volunteering has evolved and has become far more organized in the last decade with mostly larger companies partnering with NGOs to create opportunities for social impact.
Volunteer programs in this region often support the environment, education, children’s rights, and health disparities. Employee volunteer program challenges include feelings of skepticism toward corporate volunteering, perceived safety issues that deter employee participation, difficulty getting internal buy-in, challenges with internal communication and finding time to participate.
Europe
Corporate volunteerism is steadily growing in Europe. However, there is a wide variety of regional differences. Volunteerism is shaped by each country’s unique history, traditions and religion. As interest in corporate volunteering grows and begins to replace traditional team building events, NGOs often find it difficult to plan a large-scale group project that allows a multitude of volunteers to complete meaningful tasks. In the UK, companies that have a year-round approach will find it easier to partner with NGOs rather than limiting group projects to times of the year when it is popular to serve. Companies should also consider providing capacity building grants to ensure smaller NGOs have the funding needed to create group volunteer projects
Volunteering continues to be viewed more as a private activity than something one does with one’s company. Remember this cultural attitude when considering what type of volunteer hours you will track and report for your employee volunteer program — will you count only “company sponsored volunteering,” or individual volunteering that employees do on their own time?
Asia Pacific
Like Europe, the Asia Pacific region is culturally diverse with multiple sub regions. Corporate volunteerism is well developed in this region, with world-class programs established in countries such as India, China, Singapore, Japan and Korea, and skills-based volunteerism gaining much popularity. Generally speaking, volunteerism is group-focused and volunteer activities that provide interaction with the beneficiaries of NGO partners are sought after.
Companies are driven by numbers and targets and for those just starting their employee volunteer programs, social impact is the driving force. Employee volunteerism is seen as a way to enhance a company’s reputation and drive customer loyalty, but also a way to support skill-building and professional development among young professionals. Leadership participation and buy-in is important to achieving high volunteer recruitment in China along with decisions around which projects to pursue.
“In India, corporate volunteering is maturing which is leading to interest in exploring different models including skills-based volunteering and executive level engagement.”
– Shalabh Sahai, Co-Founder & Director, iVolunteer
Partner with Experts to Design, Implement and Improve Your Global CSR Program
Whether you’re just getting started with global CSR efforts or you want to take your existing program to the next level, you’ll likely benefit from a knowledgeable nonprofit partner to help guide you.
in a tangible and impactful way? While posting on social media and discussing women’s rights with your friends and family are great starts, you can use the resources you have to create impact in your own community and support women-owned businesses.
This month we’re focusing on how you can use your
, a framework for civic engagement that involves many avenues, including volunteering, voting, donating and more.
What Is Purchase Power?
Simply put, purchase power represents an individual’s ability to make decisions that reflect their values or advance a social cause or issue by choosing where they do and don’t spend their money. Whether you’re buying from a sustainable company or boycotting a product, how you buy makes a difference, and purchase power has been used over and over in the past to successfully drive change.
Start With Research
So, how can you utilize this knowledge to support women during the month of March? Start by researching
to gather together your list.
You might look even further at these businesses to narrow down your list according to the issues and populations you’re most passionate about. Some companies, for instance, are veteran women-owned businesses, while others are both minority-owned and women-owned.
Prioritize Your Purchases to Support Women-Owned Businesses
Next, determine which purchases you need to make now vs. later, and what to prioritize this March. While it may be a bit early in the year to do your holiday shopping, are there any upcoming events you have that you can plan for?
Purchases don’t necessarily need to be consumable goods. Consider services as well – dry cleaning, restaurants and food service, house cleaning or janitorial services, auto repair… the list goes on and on.
Consider Other Ways to Contribute
Finally, if you don’t have the need to make any purchases right now, take into account how else you might be able to
in your area. If you have the means, making a donation to a nonprofit that is advancing women’s issues can help immensely.
Not only can you uplift the female business owners in your community, but you can contribute to boosting your local economy by spending your dollars in your own backyard.
For more ideas on how you can get involved with social impact and lend your time, talents and resources to any cause area, including championing women, check out
Resources for Women-Owned Businesses: if you’re interested in founding your own women-owned business, check out these government and private programs to help support your journey.
Women-Owned Businesses: In this webinar, dive into statistics available from the Census Bureau on women-owned businesses. Learn about the different dimensions of business and demographic data from multiple programs and how to access the information.
Reserve Your Early Bird Ticket for the Points of Light Conference 2023
Anyone passionate about civic engagement and looking to gain key insights, actionable takeaways and fresh inspiration is welcome at the
, happening June 14-16, 2023, in Chicago. This nonprofit conference is committed to bringing socially responsible individuals and nonprofit, government, business and civic leaders an educational and inspiring gathering filled with powerful speakers and workshops.
Early Bird pricing is available now through March 31, so take advantage of reduced ticket fees by booking your tickets today. We’re also offering a scholarship for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) nonprofit professionals to attend the 2023 Points of Light Conference.
Here is a sneak peek at a few of the many sessions you can expect at the 2023 Points of Light Conference.
The Civic Engagement Leadership Summit
This gathering is designed for leaders of nonprofit organizations preparing their organizations for future growth. This is a focused gathering for nonprofit leaders to glean insights into trends impacting global communities, reserved for nonprofit executive directors/CEOs and rising leaders. Attendance is limited to 100 senior leaders of nonprofit organizations who apply after conference registration.
Business Summit
As communities around the globe are increasingly faced with diverse political, economic and social pressures, companies are stepping into uncharted roles as leaders and advocates in civic engagement and community-building. How can businesses – especially CSR leaders – use their resources, time, talent and voice to encourage civic action and thoughtful dialogue that illuminates common ground and unity? Join us for the Business Summit where attendees will hear from leaders about the field of depolarization, how companies have started to engage and the practical strategies they can bring back to their company.
Nailed It Stage
Our daily lives are filled with trials and triumph — or another opportunity to get it right. The Nailed It! Stage will feature a few brave individuals willing to share their lessons from recent initiatives where they either ‘nailed’ remarkable results… or learned a remarkable lesson. Ready to share your story? Registered attendees are invited to
to present their story on the Nailed It! Stage.
We’ve got so much planned for this year’s Points of Light Conference, so don’t wait to purchase your ticket. You’ll be in good company with more than 1,000 leaders in the social impact sector. You’ll have more than 50 workshops to choose from with actionable takeaways led by industry experts. And you’ll be a part of compelling leadership discussions highlighting best practices. Don’t miss your chance to connect with fellow changemakers ready to collaborate and amplify your efforts. Don’t wait! Head to the
